Police Test – Questions 11-13, 2026 – Study guide and practice
material
According to Kenneth C. Davis, discretion is defined as
A. a decision based on sound public policy.
B. a decision by a judge based upon all the facts submitted by an individual.
C. an official action by a criminal justice official based on that individual's judgement about the
best course of action.
D. reinforcement of law with a good decision. - correct answer ✔✔ C. an official action by a
criminal justice official based on that individual's judgement about the best course of action.
Discretion increases as one moves down the police organization. For this reason, patrol officers
have been described as
A. process bureaucrats.
B. street-level bureaucrats.
C. first-level judges.
D. street-level justices. - correct answer ✔✔ B. street-level bureaucrats.
In the context of policing, _____ exercise the greatest amount of discretion.
A. chief inspectors
B. patrol officers
C. sheriffs
D. detectives - correct answer ✔✔ B. patrol officers
,Vincent tells the police that he heard strange noises in his home at midnight. Vincent believes
that something was stolen in his house, but the police find that nothing was missing in his
home. The police also find no evidence for such a crime and hence do not complete the report
for it. This action of the police exemplifies
A. the denial of due process.
B. an under-enforcement of the law.
C. a positive use of discretion.
D. the code of silence. - correct answer ✔✔ A. the denial of due process.
_____ are the most common form of contact between the police and the public.
A. Buy-and-bust operations
B. Narcotics raids
C. Sting operations
D. Traffic stops - correct answer ✔✔ D. Traffic stops
The probability of arrest and officer use of force increases when a suspect is
A. wanted by law enforcement.
B. socially rejected by law enforcement.
C. disrespectful toward the police.
D. offends others in the presence of the police. - correct answer ✔✔ C. disrespectful toward the
police.
A police officer is most likely to make an arrest when
,A. the crime is committed in a high-income area.
B. the suspect is a vagrant in a skid row.
C. the offender and the victim are strangers.
D. the preference of the victim is to save the suspect. - correct answer ✔✔ C. the offender and
the victim are strangers.
The quality of supervision in a police department depends heavily on
A. the disciplinary procedures for supervisors in the department.
B. the neighborhood where supervisors work.
C. the span of control for supervisors in the department.
D. the number of complaints supervisors receive from their subordinates. - correct answer ✔✔
C. the span of control for supervisors in the department.
Which of the following is an extra-legal factor affecting a police officer's discretion in arresting a
suspect?
A. the seriousness of the crime committed by the suspect
B. the preference of the victim to save the suspect
C. the marital relationship between the suspect and the police officer
D. the evidence of a weapon on the suspect - correct answer ✔✔ C. the marital relationship
between the suspect and the police officer
Historically, the police have denied that they exercise discretion, claiming instead they fully
enforce all laws. This is known as the
A. political discretionary culture.
B. myth of full enforcement.
, C. official department policy.
D. politically correct philosophy. - correct answer ✔✔ B. myth of full enforcement.
The exercise of police discretion through written policy is called
A. department philosophy.
B. bureaucratic controls.
C. administrative rulemaking.
D. profession downward judgment. - correct answer ✔✔ C. administrative rulemaking.
A police department collects and codifies its rules and policies through a(n)
A. standard operating procedure manual.
B. rules and regulations manual.
C. code operations book.
D. administrative guide to patrol. - correct answer ✔✔ A. standard operating procedure manual.
While addressing incidents, such as domestic violence, that are largely hidden from public view,
police officers can more easily ignore policy and the reporting requirement. This type of incident
is called
A. course-of-action work.
B. sub-action police work.
C. low-level work.
D. low-visibility work. - correct answer ✔✔ D. low-visibility work.
One factor that most contributes to the exercise of discretion is the police
material
According to Kenneth C. Davis, discretion is defined as
A. a decision based on sound public policy.
B. a decision by a judge based upon all the facts submitted by an individual.
C. an official action by a criminal justice official based on that individual's judgement about the
best course of action.
D. reinforcement of law with a good decision. - correct answer ✔✔ C. an official action by a
criminal justice official based on that individual's judgement about the best course of action.
Discretion increases as one moves down the police organization. For this reason, patrol officers
have been described as
A. process bureaucrats.
B. street-level bureaucrats.
C. first-level judges.
D. street-level justices. - correct answer ✔✔ B. street-level bureaucrats.
In the context of policing, _____ exercise the greatest amount of discretion.
A. chief inspectors
B. patrol officers
C. sheriffs
D. detectives - correct answer ✔✔ B. patrol officers
,Vincent tells the police that he heard strange noises in his home at midnight. Vincent believes
that something was stolen in his house, but the police find that nothing was missing in his
home. The police also find no evidence for such a crime and hence do not complete the report
for it. This action of the police exemplifies
A. the denial of due process.
B. an under-enforcement of the law.
C. a positive use of discretion.
D. the code of silence. - correct answer ✔✔ A. the denial of due process.
_____ are the most common form of contact between the police and the public.
A. Buy-and-bust operations
B. Narcotics raids
C. Sting operations
D. Traffic stops - correct answer ✔✔ D. Traffic stops
The probability of arrest and officer use of force increases when a suspect is
A. wanted by law enforcement.
B. socially rejected by law enforcement.
C. disrespectful toward the police.
D. offends others in the presence of the police. - correct answer ✔✔ C. disrespectful toward the
police.
A police officer is most likely to make an arrest when
,A. the crime is committed in a high-income area.
B. the suspect is a vagrant in a skid row.
C. the offender and the victim are strangers.
D. the preference of the victim is to save the suspect. - correct answer ✔✔ C. the offender and
the victim are strangers.
The quality of supervision in a police department depends heavily on
A. the disciplinary procedures for supervisors in the department.
B. the neighborhood where supervisors work.
C. the span of control for supervisors in the department.
D. the number of complaints supervisors receive from their subordinates. - correct answer ✔✔
C. the span of control for supervisors in the department.
Which of the following is an extra-legal factor affecting a police officer's discretion in arresting a
suspect?
A. the seriousness of the crime committed by the suspect
B. the preference of the victim to save the suspect
C. the marital relationship between the suspect and the police officer
D. the evidence of a weapon on the suspect - correct answer ✔✔ C. the marital relationship
between the suspect and the police officer
Historically, the police have denied that they exercise discretion, claiming instead they fully
enforce all laws. This is known as the
A. political discretionary culture.
B. myth of full enforcement.
, C. official department policy.
D. politically correct philosophy. - correct answer ✔✔ B. myth of full enforcement.
The exercise of police discretion through written policy is called
A. department philosophy.
B. bureaucratic controls.
C. administrative rulemaking.
D. profession downward judgment. - correct answer ✔✔ C. administrative rulemaking.
A police department collects and codifies its rules and policies through a(n)
A. standard operating procedure manual.
B. rules and regulations manual.
C. code operations book.
D. administrative guide to patrol. - correct answer ✔✔ A. standard operating procedure manual.
While addressing incidents, such as domestic violence, that are largely hidden from public view,
police officers can more easily ignore policy and the reporting requirement. This type of incident
is called
A. course-of-action work.
B. sub-action police work.
C. low-level work.
D. low-visibility work. - correct answer ✔✔ D. low-visibility work.
One factor that most contributes to the exercise of discretion is the police
